What are the symptoms of mastitis?

In fact, the symptoms of mastitis are different at different stages, so it must be discovered in time. In the early stages, nipple tingling may occur, or it may be accompanied by systemic discomfort symptoms such as chest tightness, headache, temper, and irritability. If it is not treated and resolved, it may also cause abscess rupture.

1. Initial stage: In the initial stage, nipple rupture is common, and nipple pain is felt during breastfeeding, accompanied by milk congestion or lumps, and sometimes one or two milk ducts may be blocked. Then there is local swelling and pain in the breast, with or without lumps, accompanied by tenderness, the skin is not red or slightly red, and the skin is not hot or slightly hot. The systemic symptoms are not obvious, or are accompanied by chills and fever, chest tightness and headache, irritability, temper tantrum, and loss of appetite.

2. Purulent stage: The lump in the affected breast does not disappear or gradually increases in size, the local pain worsens, or there is throbbing pain, or even persistent severe pain, accompanied by obvious tenderness, red skin, burning skin, high fever, thirst, nausea and anorexia, and enlarged and tender lymph nodes in the ipsilateral axillary. Around the 10th day of breast redness, swelling, heat and pain, the center of the breast lump gradually becomes soft, and there is a sense of fluctuation when pressed. The local area becomes swollen and hot, and there is obvious tenderness. Pus is aspirated during puncture, and sometimes pus can flow out of the nipple. Systemic symptoms worsen.

3. Post-ulcer stage: When the acute abscess matures, it may burst and discharge pus on its own, or be drained by surgical incision. If the pus flows out smoothly, the local swelling and pain will decrease, the fever and chills will disappear, and the wound will gradually heal. If the pus does not drain smoothly after ulceration, the swelling does not go away, the pain does not decrease, and the fever does not subside, it may form a pus bag, or the pus may spread to other milk networks to form a hereditary mastitis. There are also cases where milk overflows from the sore after ulceration, and it cannot be cured for a long time, resulting in milk leakage.